Maelstrom of the Dead: REBOOT
by She Who Walks With Death
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is the Guidance Counselor of Fujimi Academy, loved and respected by his co-workers and the students. What they don't know is that he was in fact from a different time, a time in which death and destruction was as common as having toast for breakfast. When the dead begin to rise, and humanities fate hangs in the balance. Will Naruto be able to save them?


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Highschool of the Dead (H.O.T.D) or Naruto. Those rights belong to Daisuke Sato/Shoji Sato and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. I'm only borrowing their characters in order to entertain all of you.

**Pairing(s):** Most pairings will be revealed as the story goes along. Most of the pairings have been finalized while others are still up for debate. Naruto's possible pairing being one of them.

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas (or respective holidays) bitches~

This has been a long time coming, but finally it is here! This is the reboot of _Maelstrom of the Dead_ since its unfortunate demise in 2013 due to the increasing workload in college. Thankfully I am coming nearer to graduation and thus I've gotten used to the workload forced upon me, which causes my interest in working on fanfiction to increase. Expect this to be happening to most of my stories currently posted as well as those I haven't posted yet (cough_YukarinoTsukaima_cough).

As we all know, the Naruto manga has ended and thus my change has _**DRASTICALLY**_ changed in order to accommodate new ideas that have come up due to the final chapters and the last movie. Not all things, but most of the things I've decided to do in the story.

Anyway, let's get on with the chapter!

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><p>…<em>beep…beep…beep…beep…<em>

Now that wasn't a sound that he couldn't remember hearing in the last couple years, but then again he wasn't surprised. He had come a long way from the brash young man, whom would end up in the hospital after an impromptu training session till he practically passed out from chakra exhaustion.

That or almost blowing himself up from whatever jutsu he was trying to either create or improve.

Slowly coming back into consciousness, Uzumaki Naruto, the Nanadaime Hokage of the Village of Dancing Leaves groaned as pain wracked throughout his entire body. Wincing, he brought a hand up to his head and tried to run his fingers through his hair only to feel some bandages. Dropping his hand down to rub at the back of his neck, as he carefully pushed himself up in the bed to prop his back up against the pillows. For a moment, he had gotten ready to wince at the familiar pain he had come to associate with his arm made up from Senju Hashirama's cells.

But it never came.

The absence of the pain caused him to blink in surprise before his eyes drifted down to his arm only to see something that he hadn't in a very long time. Instead of the bandages that had pretty much become a norm in order to cover the discolored substitute for his arm lost against Sasuke. There was the tanned appendage that he had almost forgot every existed. For a moment, he was chocked and felt his eyes burn at the tears that slowly began to form.

'_M-my arm!'_ Naruto thought with awe, his eyes locked on the fist that he clenched unconsciously without the slight bit of stiffness that he had become used to with his replacement.

Bringing his other hand over to it, he almost reverently dragged his fingers down the length of his arm. A tingling sensation rang through his body at the contact, and it was then that he couldn't stop the tears to trail down his face. Many over the years hadn't realized that the loss of his arm had actually hurt him, though they couldn't really be blamed for that. He had put up a strong front after all, and it hadn't really sunk in for him immediately as he was still riding on the high of having managed to save his friend from losing himself in his plot to become a martyr.

It was only after everything has calmed down did he break down within the sanctuary of his apartment.

For as long as he could remember, even back during those years where the villagers of Konoha hadn't seen him as The Savior, but as the Demon Brat; while they were able to take away many things, even things like his few chances at true happiness…if there was anything that he could proudly claim to never be parted from it was his body. No matter what he went through, whether he was fighting against enemies within or outside of the village, if he could rest assured that he would at least have himself at the end of the day.

Losing his arm had been a great blow, but like with every blow dealt to him in his life, he had picked himself up and walked out of the door the next day with a shit-eating grin. Eventually, he was able to compensate for the loss, and managed to become comfortable with the arm Tsunade had crafted for him.

So it was a shock (a pleasant one sure) to wake up and find his arm just as he could vaguely remember it being for most of his life.

"Did Baa-chan manage to improve the replacement this much while I wasn't looking?" his trademark grin almost split his face in half from how wide it was, with happiness sparkling in his eyes turned his attention to how he had ended up in his current position.

It had been just a regular day; Naruto had woken up and grudgingly left his peaceful home where his beautiful wife and his two children were still slumbering. Around his neck was the blue scarf his mother had knitted him before he was born, in order to ward off the winter cold. Making his way quickly through the village, he had entered his office and immediately went about working on the pile of paperwork he had left on it the previous day.

Things had been very busy that month with the anniversary of the day peace officially reigned in the Shinobi Nations coming up. He had to leave his home early in order to get started on the finishing touches, which would most likely take up most of the day. Naruto had hoped that going in early would allow him to go home early and spend some time with his family, especially his son Boruto.

His son, who was almost the spitting image of him in both looks and personality, had been desperate for any time he could spend with his busy father. Having experienced this, Naruto could sympathize and usually tried to make sure to spend time with him. But the duties of a Hokage unfortunately had to come first a majority of the time, and he hasn't always been able to fulfill every promise he has made.

When the Nanadaime had finally allowed himself to take his first break, the village of dancing leaves was already alive and brimming with the energy of its residents. Unfortunately, that also meant that his son was most likely up to no good. Shizune (his main secretary) was informing him of the happenings of the village, with Shikamaru (his advisor) chipping in every now and then with his insight on the matter when almost like clockwork, the door of his office burst open.

Blue eyes didn't bother to lift up from the documents on his desk, and it really wasn't needed either. Naruto had long since come to familiarize himself with the chakra matrixes of the infamous Konohamaru Corps.

"HOKAGE-SAMA, YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi exclaimed and the blond man only sighed.

"Boruto?" he questioned, and the silence (Moegi's hand was over Konohamaru's mouth to prevent him from bombarding him with declarations of his son being a menace) he received in response was all the answer that he needed.

Slapping his bandaged hand to his face, Naruto sighed once more and pushed himself up from his chair behind the desk.

Glancing over at Shikamaru, the two exchanged glances and his advisor shook his head while rubbing the back of his neck with his trademark "mendokusai".

Reaching out with his chakra to the seal that he had placed on all of his son's clothes, he left in an orange and black flash.

When he had left, a loud crack was heard through the office drawing the attention of everyone in the room as they jumped at the sudden sound. Shikamaru, the right hand of the Nanadaime Hokage bent forward slightly to pick up the picture frame that had suddenly fell from off of Naruto's desk down on its face. Flipping it over, dark eyes narrowed as he took in the long crack that ran through the picture. The crack ran through the center where Naruto stood grinning proudly for the entire world to see as he stood with his family.

The moment that Naruto had appeared in front of his son, his eyes widened when his son flashed through some hand seals in a sequence that he was surprised to find himself unfamiliar with.

Boruto was grinning widely with excitement practically glowing in his eyes as his hand glowed.

"I knew you'd come out if I made enough noise, Dattebasa!" His song reached out and managed to punch him in the chest with his glowing fist, and then Naruto knew nothing.

That was all he could remember besides the pain that seemed to shoot through his body, paralyzing him, and Boruto's horrified expression and alarmed shouts from others before he passed out.

Scratching his cheek, Naruto chuckled a bit. It seemed that his title of the most unpredictable ninja would have to be given to his son…you know after he took a training trip with his son and pressed upon him the dangers of using unknown jutsu when he obviously didn't know the results of.

'Either that or have him do a shit load of D-Rank missions, all to collect Tora _**AND**_ his various hells spawn for two months…' smirking evilly at the thought of his son's punishment, he almost jumped when the door to the room opened and a gasp broke through his thoughts.

"Ah! He's awake!" looking up confusion formed on his face as he met the face of an unfamiliar nurse.

His eyebrows furrowed, "Where is Suki-chan, is she on break?"

It wasn't too soon after that when Naruto had found that his situation was graver than he had first thought.

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><p><strong>Maelstrom of the Dead<strong>

**Prologue: A Time before the Dead**

Waking up from his memories, hooded blue eyes drifted over towards the clocking hanging above his office door before landing on the brown-haired teen that was occupying the wing-backed divan resting against the wall at the corner of his office.

A bell rang throughout the school signaling the change of classes, and soon the sounds of students passing by through the halls echoed in the room. Naruto's gaze then went to the laptop that was sitting on his desk, more specifically at the memo all of the teachers had received at the beginning of the day. They were to meet in the faculty room in order to discuss the plans for the coming year.

The school day was already halfway over and soon enough he would be allowed to make his way back home, after the meeting that was. Dragging his clasped hands from underneath his head, he brushed his fingers through his shaggy locks and sat up in his comfy burnt orange leather chair. Steepling his hands, he rested his chin on top of them and decided to break the silence.

"Kyoko-chan has been getting on my case recently about helping students become delinquents…I wonder how she's come to this conclusion." Naruto watched as the second-year cringed and had the decency to at least look apologetic.

Shaking his head good-naturedly, he clicked a button and the file opened and the picture of the student in the room popped up along with his information.

Komuro Takashi was seventeen and currently a sophomore attending the prestigious Fujimi Academy. He was an average student, who really didn't stand out according to the other students. If anything, the only standout things about him was the connections that he had with a few more notable students.

Miyamoto Rei, the daughter of a well-known detective in Tokonosu City, who was the bane of existence for any he was investigating.

Igō Hisashi, an up and coming star in Fujimi Academy's Karate club, who had already gained his black belt despite his young age.

And lastly Takagi Saya, the daughter of an influential Uyoku dantai politician with her family being deeply involved in Japan's politics, who was herself also regarded as a genius.

Yes, while Takashi himself wasn't anything extraordinary, he was someone who is fortunate enough to make the right connections to end up with a comfortable life. Not that any of that actually interested Naruto.

He, unlike the other teachers, could see the potential that was resting within him.

Takashi had potential that without the right attention could easily be overlooked in favor of the obvious brilliance that others around him possessed. He, for one, wasn't going to allow the boy to fall through the cracks, which is why he took him under his wing like so many others he had come across since he had arrived to this school.

'It was the same for me after all…' Closing down the top of his laptop, Naruto turned his gaze back towards the boy who was doing his best to pretend like he couldn't feel his questioning gaze.

"Well as much as I love having you in my office, you can't keep skipping classes (this was the fifth time this week alone!)…it's like my office is becoming a hangout spot for truant students or something and Kyoko-chan keeps chewing me out~" Whining slightly, Naruto counted it a victory when Takashi snorted and actually turned to look at him. Replacing the frown that had become the teen's default expression, a cheeky grin took residence on his face as he raised an eyebrow.

"You do know that Hayashi-sensei would more than likely gut you if you called her that to her face, right?" Naruto only mirrored his grin and waggled his eyebrows.

"I don't know Komuro-kun. As much as she complains about my lack of manners, I don't think she actually minds _too_ much." He then leaned forward and pointed at himself with his thumb while poking his tongue out, "Besides, she can't resist this cute face of mine."

Chuckling, Takashi shoved his hands into the pockets of his black school slacks and turned his body in order to push himself up onto his feet.

"I doubt that very much Naruto-sensei." The put upon expression on Naruto's face only caused Takashi to laugh again.

Blowing his bangs away from his face with a huff, "Well my reluctance to your proper suffixes aside…promise me that you will at least have your work done if you insist on skipping class?"

He held out a packet that had obviously been given to him by his "concerned" teachers.

Takashi nodded, though reluctantly, and grabbed the packet to satisfy the man before him. Under the man's watchful eye he flipped through his handout detailing the many projects that would be due at the end of the semester.

Uzumaki Naruto was the most popular member of the school's staff, and his office was where some students frequently found themselves at without a thought when they had a problem.

He, Takashi, was one of them.

It was the second week into the semester, and everything already seemed to be going downhill for him. Not only was the ever daunting fact that he had no plans for his future messing with him (mostly due to his mother's lectures over the entirely _**TOO**_ long break), but the girl he loved had suddenly decided to date his best friend between then and now.

If he didn't know any better, Takashi would've wondered if his life was some kind of soap opera.

Rubbing his face in frustration, he furrowed his brows as he looked over at the blond who was loosening the powder blue tie around his neck with a groan while leaning back in his chair.

Ever since the day, Takashi had first found himself skipping classes he had hung around in the abandoned halls near the front of the school.

It was his way of avoiding the seemingly inevitable interaction with the love of his life and his best friend, who had in a sense stolen her from him.

Well that was how it was at first. His childhood friend, Takagi Saya would find him and begin to nag, which gave him another reason to retreat further into himself.

As much as he appreciated her attempts at trying to cheer him up (he still wasn't sure if she actually trying to do that), the girl just sucked at giving pep talks.

Most of them ended up making him feel a lot worst every time.

It was on the last day of the first week that he had found a safe haven in the Guidance Counselor's room, and that was only because the man had offered to lend an ear for him to speak about his problems.

"_That's what a Guidance Counselor is here for after all. They didn't just hire me for my dashing looks Komura-kun!"_

"I guess I just don't want to accept the way things are, and yet I don't have the courage to try and do something about it." Takashi suddenly began as a pleasant silence began to take over the room.

The blue eyes locked solely on him, told Takashi that he had the man's full attention.

He continued, "None of it seems to make sense to me…one moment I think Rei and I were going to eventually get together and all of a sudden she is dating Hisashi!"

Propping his arm on the armrest, he rested his cheek against it as observed the whirlwind of emotions that took place on the teen's face. Lifting his legs up, he rested them on the hardwood desk while taking care to not knock over any of the paperwork that he had painstakingly organized earlier that day.

"Ah yes, Miyamoto-chan and Igō-kun, the reasons for your new habit of skiving classes."

Chuckling, the older man tilted his head to the side with a small grin.

"Ah, to be young and in love, the never-ending trials of love…man it has been a while since I've been through that myself."

Trailing off at the end of his sentence, his gaze drifted from the boy in front of his desk towards the picture that sat on his desk with unreadable eyes.

Watching the man, Takashi raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze to the picture. Just as he was about to ask the blue-eyed man about it, a familiar voice came over the intercom.

"UZUMAKI-SAN! GET HERE THIS INSTANT!"Cringing at the volume, the brown-haired teen watched as the usually cheerful man slumped down in his seat with a groan.

Pushing himself out of his chair, Naruto made his way around his desk while grabbing the jacket of his slate suit from around the back of his chair. Tugging it on one arm at a time, he grinned sheepishly at the boy lounging on the couch.

"It seems that I am scheduled in for another round of Kyoko-chan's lovely voice for the day as much as I shouldn't allow it, you can stay here as long as you want."

Avoiding the man's gaze, he turned his head towards the wall.

Straightening out the suit top, he made his way to the door and stopped. Glancing over his shoulder, he allowed a small smile to form on his handsome face.

"While it may seem like it's the end of the world now, things will get better. Besides there is an old saying that if you love something then you should let it go, and if it comes back then it's truly worth something."

Despite trying to act uninterested in the information, Takashi closed his eyes. "Has that something ever come back…I-I mean for you?"

He blushed as he felt the blond's eyes on him as he took on step out of his office.

For a moment nothing was said, the only the sound of the older man sliding the door open met his ears. Opening his eyes, he was able to see the Guidance Counselor grimace before it was quickly wiped from his face. Bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his neck, Naruto grinned sheepishly while tilting his head back slightly.

"Sorry, but I've never had much luck getting anything back, but just maybe your situation will have a different result than with my situation."

Stuffing one hand into the pocket of his slacks, he waved over his shoulder with a chuckle, "Well I better go face my maker or she'll come storming down the hall looking for me…later Komura-kun."

"See ya…"

The door closed with a resounding thud.

Walking back over to the divan he glanced over in the direction of the Guidance Councilor's desk and the picture he had been looking at so sadly. Grabbing the picture frame, he continued his trek to his designated space of moping. Takashi just flopped down onto the eye-wateringly colored but comfy cushions. Turning his body onto his side, he closed his eyes as another deep sigh left his lips.

Opening his eyes once more, he finally looked at the picture and his eyes widened in surprised. Much to his surprise, there in the picture was the blond councilor standing with a woman, who was tugging on his cheek with a playful smirk on her face. Despite the obvious abuse that he was receiving, Uzumaki had been grinning from ear to ear while holding two ice cream cones as they stood in an unrecognizable theme park.

The two of them seem really happy together, and the teen briefly wondered what happened to break them apart.

It was obvious from the man's demeanor that the two of them were no longer together.

'_I really wonder if it's possible for me to be happy…because if these two who were together and seemed so happy didn't work out…is there even a possibility…'_

Shaking his head, he placed the picture back in its place and made himself at home back on the divan.

While he accepted Naruto's words, Takashi knew that things between him, Rei, and his best friend would never be how it once was.

It was just no longer a possibility now.

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><p>Walking down the hall, Naruto sighed while stuffing his hands into his pockets.<p>

The situation the 2nd year in his office was going through just brought up some of the more unpleasant memories for the Guidance Counselor. Years of chasing after Sakura despite her obviously being hung up over Sasuke, caused him to cringe in embarrassment. He knew that if it hadn't been for Hinata's impromptu confession during the attack of Pein on Konoha, he probably would've ended up like a certain perverted Toad Sage.

An eternal bachelor if he couldn't win the love of the woman he was in love with.

After he had come to finally accept the fact that the beautiful cherry blossom would never see him the way he wanted to (fully anyway), his eyes had been opened to other options. Hinata had stood up and after a minor scuffle with a certain Ōtsutsuki with delusions of godhood, he had come to realize that he had come to fall for the girl who had been there for him since the beginning (regardless of whether he had realized it or not). The years he spent with his wife and children, the years he had spent helping usher in peace were the greatest years of his life.

But it had all been cut short after his son's use of that jutsu that even now he couldn't recall what it was.

Raking his fingers through his hair, the blue-eyed man looked out the window onto the students running around the track.

'_It has been twelve years since I woke up to find myself here…in this new world, once again 16, and where those like me were only featured in anime, manga, or the annals of history…a world devoid of Shinobi.'_

Twelve years later after having to create a new identity for himself in this time, he now found himself here helping mold the minds of the future. Watching the people of this world, Naruto couldn't help but feel disappointed in the world around him.

In this time they didn't have to worry about fighting for their lives, nor were they trained from the time they could walk to one day give up their lives in defense of their community.

Yet still war happened; wars that were more destructive than any war of the Shinobi era.

The smallest things were a cause for wars; whether it was the color of a person's skin or whatever religion that was chosen to be worshipped.

After all of the work that he and his allies had done, after all the sacrifices were made, and the people lost…it seemed that humanity as a whole just would never learn.

There were many times he had felt like just calling up the full might of his powers and subjugating the world…something that if he put his mind to it could very well be achieved. While the others around him had forgotten the art of manipulating the chakra which allows them to live, he was not one of them. It was fortunate for the people of this time that Naruto's moral code would just not allow him to go along with his idea.

Naruto did not wish to see himself becoming a tyrant; to follow the bloodstained paths of Madara or Obito.

So he decided to do as much as he could to help the next generation, who could very well change the world.

Shaking his head with a small smile, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he allowed the rays of the sun to warm his face through the window on his right.

"Uzumaki-san, there you are!"

Opening his eyes, Naruto saw the lovely form of Hayashi Kyoko marching towards him with a stormy expression. Slapping a grin on his face, he lifted a head and moved forward to face the music for whatever he had done this time to earn the woman's ire.

He may have been displaced from his original time, but Naruto wouldn't let it destroy him. This time had shown him that his work wasn't done and offered him another chance. In this world, he didn't need to fight for his life every day, or keep one eye open as you sleep in order to make sure ally or enemy didn't stab you in the back. Despite being torn away from his family or there being little to no chance of him every seeing them again, he had to look forward.

Breathing in deeply, he felt his spirits lift a bit.

That day, neither Naruto nor anyone else had any idea of the horrors that would occur or how much the world they knew comes to an end.

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><p><strong>So what did you think of the rewrite? I felt like I've changed several things, changes that I like better than the original. Well from here on, the story will cover what I had originally written and new things that I've come up with in order accommodate my new storyline. Either way, I can't wait to see what you guys think…and yes, I AM BACK PEEPS! 8D<strong>


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